Monthly Archives: November 2012

Funny Phrases From the Road

Posted on November 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

How many huckleberries does it take to kill a cow?

explained: (not technically from this road, but heard in a McDonalds near Hagerstown)  Several men speaking freely across the dining area. One says, huckleberries are poisonous.  The other asked; How many…

A man’s gotta love a woman who smells like bacon.

   explained: Jane helped Gordon making a breakfast feast including hash-browns, eggs, and bacon.  The large grill was really rolling under his restaurant-trained hands.  After preparing and eating the meal we changed out of pajamas for the day. That night, unfolding those PJ’s and getting ready for bed…my Jane smelled like bacon.  We both roared with laughter when I told her with a lear.

You don’t need a map to get to Sackville, you just go straight.

explained: While driving on Provincial Highway 1 in New Brunswick, Canada we stopped for coffee and directions.  After filling the thirsty 4Runner I found the coffee was free.  No Mega-store selection with the drowning gulp sizes, just a simple pot, small styrofoam cups and creamer in the fridge.  Jane asked about maps.  Oh, the nice grey-haired man said; you don’t need a map to get to Sackville, you just go straight.  And, infact you do.  Highway 1 runs right into 2, the Trans-Canada Highway which then runs straight into Sackville, New Brunswick home of the prestigious Mount Allison College, where Anne is teaching.

Bring a flashlight, you don’t want to surprise a skunk.

explained: pretty much self-explanatory, heard from a resident camper at New River Provincial Park, in New Brunswick

We had some good maps here; seems they are are torn out of the guidebooks.

ezplained: Heard after chasing the elusive “?” information symbol for miles to the end of a peninsula at Black Harbor, a helpful employee seeks maps in the little guidebook from one of those big racks of tourist pamphlets.

I feel like I have someone else’s teeth in my mouth.

explained: David after biting his tongue and/or cheek for the umpteenth time

You two must really like each other, if my wife and I did this we’d be at fisticuffs.

explained: Jimmie’s reaction upon stepping into the Tramper for a tour at Tsali Recreation Area Mt Biking trailhead, North Carolina

I have lost control of my batter

explained: Jane while making latkes for breakfast in Hayesville, NC

-David

Leave a comment

Posted in PEOPLE

DAY 63 – 11/16/2012 Hiking Mt Pisgah

Posted on November 19, 2012 | 1 comment

A comment was heard the other day on the trailhead: “A day this gorgeous in November is a gift”. A gift, indeed! We have been blessed on this journey in just this way, so many times. As readers of this blog well know, we were waylaid in New York for two weeks by a blown head gasket. Two weeks worth of ever-colder weather in November could have easily meant that our trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina could have been darker and winter-y. But, instead, the days have been breathtakingly beautiful.

Here's Cold Mountain, of literary and movie fame, as seen from Mt Pisgah.

Here’s Cold Mountain, of literary and movie fame, as seen from Mt Pisgah.

Friday was such a day, sunny and mild. Cold in the morning with a shining glaze of icy white frosting on grass and leaves, the crispness wilting in the rising sun. Until late afternoon when the sun retired behind towering mountains, the gentle air gave just the barest hint of the steel grip of winter soon to come.

It’s true – the leaves, with their riot of color, are gone. The showy drama may be over, but what remains is beautiful, too. Brown and gray trees stand in relief, their branches intricate against the bright blue sky. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERARound a corner and you come upon the surprise of rich brown oak leaves, deep green pine needles and Christmas ferns, soft tan seed pods exploding and chartreuse mats of moss with their companion lichens in fairy-tale shapes.

 

Let's just call them "Shrek Ears"!

Let’s just call them “Shrek Ears”!

Friday was a day made for a hike. We had our friend, Marshall, with us. Marshall currently lives in Wilmington on the North Carolina seashore but drove west to meet us in Greensboro. From the Blue Ridge Parkway, we hiked 2-3 miles up the Shut In Trail to another trailhead leading to a 1.5 mile hike to the top of Mt Pisgah.

Friend Marshall, wearing around his waist our dorky water-bag!

Friend Marshall, wearing around his waist our dorky water-bag!

We love to mountain bike, but one of the great things we’ve found about hiking is that great conversations can be had. Well, when you’re not gasping for breath as I seem to do a lot! We hadn’t seen Marshall for seven years so we had a lot of catching up to do. He was Best Man at our wedding fourteen years ago but we had lost touch. Sure, there was the occasional phone call but we hadn’t been in each others’ company for quite a while.

Sky-high on Mt Pisgah.

Sky-high on Mt Pisgah.

David has said that Marshall is one of the most easily lovable people that he has ever met and I concur. Marshall bravely agreed to be our guest in the Tramper and spent two nights in our spare bed while traveling with us. So much fun was had! Lots of laughing…

We all wanted to see the

So, this is why I've got a cell signal! On top of Mt Pisgah, NC

So, this is why I’ve got a cell signal! On top of Mt Pisgah, NC

Museum of the Cherokee Indian in (where else) Cherokee, NC but we needed dinner and a good night’s sleep first so we threw our weary bodies into the 4Runner and found the Fort Wilderness RV Park, not far from the lavish, enormous Harrah’s Casino on the Cherokee Reservation.

– Jane

 

 

 

Here's Pisgah from the upper parking lot. The Shut-In trail led to this spot, then we hiked up to the tower.

Here’s Pisgah from the upper parking lot. The Shut-In trail led to this spot, then we hiked up to the tower.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

 

1 Comment

Posted in DAY posts, Hiking, PEOPLE

Tagged , , ,

DAY 61 – 11/14/2012 – Greensboro, NC

Posted on November 17, 2012 | 4 comments

While visiting our friends Bob and Joann and Claire and Sage in Greensboro, NC, David kept himself busy. The trailer needed the tires rotated. The tread has worn very thin already, but only on one side so flipping them on the rims will wear the opposite side of the tread. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI guess what we have is a max-loaded (3,400 lbs out of a 3,500 lb maximum weight) trailer causing the premature wear, but if anyone can make that kind of situation work for the next 4-10 months, it would be David. Buying another vehicle or redoing the trailer are not options that we can pursue right now, so, on we go!

Also on the to-do list for my busy husband was helping to repair the roof of our friends’ backyard shed. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI should explain this frenzy of activity a little. David needs and wants to be busy, always. Leisure, for him, is not lounging or resting or reading but “getting things done”.  I always say that David has two speeds. Speed 1 = BUSY. Speed 2 = ASLEEP!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOn Tuesday, we rose early (OK, I rose early. David springs out of bed each morning at 5:30, excited about what the new day will bring! I’m a grumpy, lumpy mess until I get caffeine circulating) and helped out at the weekly breakfast at a Greensboro church for the homeless and hungry.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Our Carolina friends are so cool, so together. They are the kind of folks that inspire me to be a better person; to learn more and to do more. However, intellectual conversations can be followed at any time by goofy, joyful, hippy fun.

Great family!

– Jane

Scout, the butter dog

Scout, the butter dog

4 Comments

Posted in Barriers, DAY posts

Tagged , ,

What was the best thing about the trip so far? “Questions while visiting home”

Posted on November 14, 2012 | 9 comments

When we visited family and friends in Baltimore a local friend posed the question; “what was the best thing about the trip so far?”

While thinking about my reply, my mind whirled through visions from the “road movie”.  I thought about deep clear rivers, green forests, panoramic foliage, skies as blue as Sept 11 and  broader than I could turn my head.  I thought about the mountains I so love.  The roaring little creek where we beached the kayak and sat still and silent for twenty minutes (me too, really!) and cried at the beauty combined with the privilege to view it.  Then, before I spoke, I realized the greatest part.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERATrying not to sound perfunctory or patronizing I managed to form a sentence.  The best part is the relationship and flow that Jane and I have formed with each other and the Tramper.  Our symbiosis with every system is evolving as we create a system for every daily task.  We “really like each other” as an observer asked about spending time in the small space.  We LOVE each other these 14 years into our marriage.  In fact, this time has us closer than ever.  We do nearly everything together, 24 hours a day.  It feels odd to run an errand without the other. We like it!  We reeaally like it! (Jean-Philippe and Anne know how to pronounce that)

The systems requirement comes from the space and the road.  We just don’t have room to leave anything unfinished.  Every shoe, every type of clothing has a place now.  We are packed for 4 seasons, downhill skis, cross country skis, Mt Bikes, kayak, hiking boots all take up space and could be in the way.  We could each tell you how many shirts, long and short sleeve, pants, underwear and socks we have.  Daily tasks, sleeping, cooking, cleaning, changing, getting water,  all take on new meaning in this rig.  Monitoring all power use, solar gain, water use, food intake, money spent all create an awareness we hope follows us home.

How should we start our day?

How should we start our day?

TWO OTHER CRUCIAL LESSONS HAVE SURFACED TOO:

The Earth is still very much alive and beautiful.  The skies and seas blue, and the myriad of beauty thrives wherever you look.  Leave the towns, get a mile off of a parking lot, look up and we are all still blessed with a miraculous universe and a world of wonder, mysteries and room for a curiosity that fills a life daily.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPeople are Wonderful!   There is kindness, help, warmth everywhere we look.  Even the places we weren’t looking.  Strangers all seem interested in the Voyage.  It seems every day someone is telling us they have a contact or friend further down our journey.  Today a “stranger” showed me pictures of his farm and home, opening his doors to us “any time we get out that way”.  I wish I could communicate the soft and wonderful net that is out there if you step away from the familiar.  This country is full of WONDERFUL PEOPLE!  Writing now I shed tears at the desperation I didn’t look at until we started away from our house. (traffic and daily news breed an underlying mistrust we keep under our surface, why else does someone blow up so easily at little things?)

– David

15274_4776269974893_1449845499_n

9 Comments

Posted in PEOPLE

Tagged , , , ,

DAY 57 11/10/2012 How far South are We?

Posted on November 11, 2012 | 5 comments

All my Baltimore life I’ve heard the standard axiom that Maryland is little America.  “Yes, just drive three hours West to the mountains or three East to the ocean.  You can reach everything from here”.    Years later I’ve made observations of my own.  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAJust drive three hours north and you reach New York, the bustle, Times Square, Broadway, theaters, and all they have to offer.  Then when you drive three hours South, folks ask; “How y’all doing?”, and they wait for a real answer.  They really want to know.  It’s still that way.

When we awoke here in Waynesboro Virginia without a plan, the good and possibly renowned  outfitter, Rockfish Gap seemed the place to go for our morning question:  Where should we go today?  The clerks directed us to a knowledgeable bearded customer, Tony who rifled through the maps in the store rack.

Witch Hazel in bloom in a sheltered valley

Witch Hazel in bloom in a sheltered valley

He pointed out hikes of varied lengths and types,  showing us where the most hunters would be and trying to ensure we’d have a good time.  He added that we could be using retired “Smartwater” bottle instead of the 2 new Nalgene bottles I picked up in the store.  I mentioned something of helping with business economy in my usual fashion, now forgetting our own newly chosen economy, which, without jobs, clearly goes only one way.

We picked a modest hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAand after a few miles and some elevation gains, saw evidence of the snows from Sandy and the Nor’Easter.  Yup, there was a faceless snowman to greet us.   OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOur hike did its elevating job on our legs as we found ourselves thinking about a meal.

We rolled carefully down a switchbacked mountain road Eastward off of the Blue Ridge Parkway seeking a campground called Montibello.  The store was open, we hoped to check in after our nice rocky hike, but the clerk informed us the campground was closed for the season.  I had just started my response that we didn’t need hookups or anything and she reached for the phone.  Our friendly Southern cashier was calling ahead to another campground she knew to be open.

Dave and Sue run a nice little place called Crabtree Falls Campground where we were happy to pay the nice country fee of $26.  Many bigger sites charge over $35 and this in part is why we “camp” in some of the strange places we use.  Every dollar saved could be another day on our voyage.  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOnly Dave was there to register and greet us.  He and I could have talked another hour if that hiker-hunger weren’t simmering in my belly and Jane was waiting in the Tramper.

The next day, Dave had more questions about the Tramper.  His avionics mechanic background coupled with his Mt Bike and snowboard social ways again led to timeless shared joy.  I love to talk about things, learn about things, laugh with these great people we are meeting on the road!  Before long, unprompted, Dave responded to our voyage by pulling a $20 back out of the register and “investing” in our trip’s future by refunding most of the camping fee!   Jane and I were baffled, complimented, nearly cried and could only say THANK YOU Dave!

– David

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

At Crabtree Falls Campground, Tyro, VA

5 Comments

Posted in DAY posts, Flowers, Hiking, PEOPLE, Tramper pictures

Tagged , , ,